Boxer ready for Riot after Iraq tours

By DENNIS TAYLOR Herald Staff Writer

Posted:
07/12/2007 01:27:00 AM PDT

Updated:
07/12/2007 01:27:00 AM PDT

Bakersfield welterweight Brian Gordon will be fighting as a professional for only the second time Saturday night when he steps into the ring at the San Jose Civic Auditorium, but don't expect him to be intimidated.

He was 18-3 as an amateur, won the Texas state championship and was fourth at the 2002 Ringside Nationals. More notable is that the 27-year-old Gordon has done two tours of duty on some of the bloodiest roads in Iraq, where he saw action that will make this weekend's experience seem like child's play.

Gordon will fight San Jose's Maurice Slade, who is making his pro debut, on the undercard of The Riot, a six-bout show headlined by a 10-round main event between Salinas junior welterweight Jesus "Chuy" Rodriguez (14-2) and Hector "The Mongoose" Alatorre (14-1) of Tulare for the California state championship.

Rodriguez is one of three boxers on the card representing Salinas-based Garcia Boxing. Lightweight Eloy "The Prince" Perez (8-0-1) will fight six rounds against Sacramento's Carlos Musquez (3-1-1) in the semi-main, and former Salinas fieldworker Constancio "Tacho" Alvarado (1-0) will take on Sammy Yniguez (1-0) of Victorville in a four-round bantamweight bout.

Gordon is one of two fighters on the card with a military history. Keith Spencer (1-0), a 240-pound heavyweight from Ventura, will be deployed later this year to Afghanistan. His opponent at The Riot will be veteran Cornell Davis (4-10) of Lancaster.

"The first time I went to Iraq was in 2003, at the very start of the war, and I had no idea what to expect.

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I was there for seven months that time — part of a 60-vehicle unit that basically paved the way for other units. It was pretty scary. Every little sound make you jump," said Gordon, who retired from the U.S. Army as a sergeant after eight years of active duty. "I was part of a 60-vehicle unit that basically paved the way for other units, and I was on one of 10 vehicles that got lost, which was pretty scary.

"We were in some pretty heavy stuff a lot of times, but one day we were checking our water-purifying system on the Euphrates River and we came under attack three times from rocket-propelled grenades," he said. "They were exploding about 40 or 50 feet from me that day, so it was pretty crazy. I saw a lot of people get hurt. I saw guys who were still burning after they'd been blown up."

A year later, he went back, this time for sixth months with a unit that was hauling tanks from North Iraq to South Iraq — duty that proved equally harrowing.

"A lot of stuff happened that year, too — they were blowing up bridges all around us — but the one that stands out was the day we got caught in a three-hour ambush," he said. "I went through three 30-round magazines with my weapon — it was just three solid hours of shooting and trying not to get shot. Nine of our people were injured and one of our guys died in that attack."

Gordon, who avoided injury during the 13 months he spent in harm's way, says he came home with mixed feelings about the war.

"Going over there the first time, I was ready. I was all pumped up to defend our country," he said. "When I went back in 2004, I felt a little bit different. I didn't really see the purpose of being there, but a war is a war. We have to protect our right to do what we want to do, so there's nothing else really to say.

"I don't really understand the whole political side of it. I guess we're making progress," he said. "But there are soldiers being killed over there every day — I don't really consider that progress — and the company I was with just got back from its sixth trip. That's sad, but you do what you've got to do."

Gordon won his pro debut in May, knocking out Chris Lopez in Lemoore with a body punch just 94 seconds into the fight. And body work, he says, is his forte.

"I can box, I can brawl, I can fight inside. I won't say I'm the total package, but I do whatever I need to do. I adjust to my opponent's style," he said. "But I'm definitely a body puncher. I figure if my opponent can't breathe, he can't fight, so I'll go for the body and take all of his air away."

Tickets for The Riot may be charged in advance by calling 408-998-0400. The box office at the San Jose Civic Auditorium will open Saturday at 3:30 p.m., with the doors opening at 6:30 p.m.

Dennis Taylor can be reached at dtaylor@montereyherald.com or 646-4344.